Improvement in revolving fire-arms



s. FOREHAND & H. c. WADSWORTH.

Revoflving Fire-Arms.

Patented Oct. 1 1M873.

.ing the cylinder in position, as herein shown ivrrnn S'rArns ATEN'IQFFIOE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,566, dated October14, 1873; application filed April 5, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SULLIVAN FOREHAND and HENRY O. WADSWORTH, both ofthe city and county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Fire- Arms;and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1represents a side view of a revolving fire-arm embracing ourimprovement, (the frame being shown broken away to exhibit the internalconstruction,) and Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the same atline A B, Fig. 1.

The nature of our invention consists, first, in the employment of a stopor friction device actuated by the lock mechanism, in combination withthe cartridge-cylinder in revolving firearms, for the purpose ofpreventing the accidental rotation of said cylinder when the piece is athalfcook, or during operation of raising the hammer while slowly cockingthe piece, as hereinafter explained; second, in the combination, withthe cylinder and cylinderbolt, of a friction-pin or spring-stud forretainan d described.

In certain classes of revolving fire-arms the construction andarrangement of the parts are such that during the action of the piece,either while the hammer stands at half-cock or while the hammer is beingraised, there occurs an interval after the stop or cylinder bolt hasbeen raised, andbefore the advancing mechanism engages thecylinder-ratchet, during which the cylinder is released and is free torevolve in either direction, and it has been ascertained in practice,especially with the large -calibered arms, that when a portion of thechambers of the cylinder is charged and the remainder empty ordischarged the preponderance of the ball-cartridges over the emptyshells or vacant chambers sometimes causes the cylinder to par tiallyrevolve or change its position while the piece is at half-cock, or incase the hammer is raised somewhat slowly, thus occasionally-interfering with the perfect action of the cylinder, so that the mechanism failsto advance the proper chamber into position when the piece is vancinghand or lever is brought into action,

at which time the friction or stop is relieved or ceases to act upon thecylinder.

In the drawings, A denotes the barrel; B, the cartridge-cylinder; O, thehammer D, the trigger; E, the cylinder-bolt; F, the advancing hand orlever G, the frame; and I, the friction-pin or stop device.

The friction-pin or stop device in-this instance consists of a smallstud or pin, I, arranged in and projecting through the frame G near thetrigger D, as shown. Said pin I is actuated by the cylinder-bolt E andits spring a, it being pressed against the exterior surface of thecylinder B by the spring a as the cylinder-bolt E is actuated by themovement of the trigger dropping into the half-cock notch of the tumblerK when the hammer C is drawn back, the forward end of said cylinder-boltE being by this action thrown outward to release it from the notch b onthe cylinder, and the rear end thereof moved inward, causing the springa to press on the head of the pin I and force its point against thecylinder B with pressure sufficient to hold or retain the cylinder inposition and prevent its revolving from the preponderance of thecartridge-balls, or from other slight causes, but not with sufficientpressure and friction to cause undue strain upon any of the parts. WVhenthe hammer O is entirely down, or when it is at full-cock, the end ofthe cylinder-bolt enters one of the notches b at the front end of thecylinder; and at such time the pin I is relieved from its pressureagainst the surface of the cylinder. The pin or stop I is also movedfrom the cylinder to relieve the friction while the advancing hand orlever F is acting to revolve the cylinder for ward, the outward movementof the pin I commcncing as soon as the hand F engages with the ratchetof the cylinder and the latter starts forward, thus relieving themechanism and permitting the easy movement of the cylinder by the handor lever F.

Having described our improvement in revolving fire-arms, What we claimtherein as new and of our invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is- I l. The combination, with the cartridge-cylinder in arevolving fire-arm, of a stop or friction device actuated by the lockmechanism for retaining the cylinder in proper position when the pieceis at half-cock, or when the cylinderis released by the cylinder-bolt,and before the advancing-hand engages the cylinder-ratchet,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the cylinder B, cylinder-bolt E, and its springa, of the friction pin or stud I, substantially as and. for the purposeset forth.

SULLIVAN FOREHAND.

HENRY O. WADSWORTH.

Witnesses CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, GEO. J. MoWRY.

